Law of Armed Conflict/IHL

Local elderly residents take shelter in the basement of an undisclosed church on October 12, 2020 in Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh. Boxes and blankets are placed in piles on the floor and there are a few chairs and benches on which people sit. A person walks past the camera using a walking cane.

Power Politics Obstructs Protection of Civilians in — and After — the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict

Five measures that Azerbaijan and Armenia, along with Russia, Turkey, and the international community must take now to improve conditions.

Feb. 2, 2021 Beatrice Godefroy and Julien Théron

Georgian families visit the remains of their homes that were bombed by Russian aircraft August 28, 2008 in Gori, Georgia. Debris litters the floor. Buildings are missing walls and ceilings appear to be collapsing.

Georgia v. Russia: Jurisdiction, Chaos and Conflict at the European Court of Human Rights

A troubling decision by the European Court of Human Rights on its power to adjudicate alleged rights violations related to armed conflict.

Feb. 2, 2021 Helen Duffy

Why Guantánamo Detainees Should Have Access to COVID Vaccines Part I: Law of Armed Conflict and Good Policy

The laws of war require vaccinating Guantanamo detainees. So do policy imperatives — including the U.S. military's own self-interests.

Feb. 1, 2021 Ryan Goodman, Oona A. Hathaway and 1 more

Relatives and friends hold photos of their missing loved ones at Galle Face promenade in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo on August 28, 2018.

Spotlight on Sri Lanka as UN Human Rights Council Prepares Next Session

Concerns over impunity and a troubling decline in human rights will be prominent, with a long-awaited report by the UN high commissioner for human rights.

Feb. 1, 2021 Beth Van Schaack

The building and grounds of Germany’s Federal Court of Justice. There is a grassy lawn with a fountain, trees lining the sides, and the building itself is centered.

German Court Major Judgment on Foreign Officials’ Lack of Immunity in War Crimes Trials

A leading scholar explains landmark decision by Germany's highest criminal court.

Feb. 1, 2021 Claus Kress

Family members and relatives take part in the funeral procession of Afghan journalist Rahmatullah Nekzad at Khoja Omari district of Ghazni province, on December 22, 2020. The group appears to walk uphill and fills the span of the block.

Unprecedented Threats to Journalists & Civil Society Activists Are Threatening Afghanistan

Who benefits from the killing of journalists, human rights activists, and civil society members in Afghanistan? What purposes could it serve and for whom?

Jan. 29, 2021 J. Hamida Andisha

The empty courtroom of the Commissions building where on Tuesday preliminary hearings will begin for four detainees held on the Naval Base is seen August 22, 2004 in Guantanamo, Cuba. Six flags stand at the front of the room.

How to Fix the U.S. Litigation Position in Key Pending Cases

The Biden administration has the opportunity, and responsibility, to disavow the Trump administration’s dangerous litigation positions and the ideologies they reflect in these…

Jan. 27, 2021 Scott Roehm and Hina Shamsi

Russian nuclear missile rolls along Red Square during the military parade marking the 75th anniversary of Nazi defeat, on June 24, 2020 in Moscow, Russia. The requirement to wear masks and gloves to combat a spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) is still in effect in Moscow, but none of the military members lined up wear face masks.

The Demise of Arms Control Extends Far Beyond Nuclear Weapons

Bilateral and multilateral mechanisms are disintegrating amid tech advances, and “grey zones” below military conflict thresholds are ripe for exploitation.

Jan. 22, 2021 Ambassador Thomas Graham Jr. and Elizabeth Turpen

Reconsidering the Digitalization of International Criminal Justice

Tech is heralded as a way to increase access and participation in international justice. But what are the costs of these digital justice mechanisms?

Jan. 19, 2021 Deyaa Alrwishdi

Can a Pardon Be a War Crime?: When Pardons Themselves Violate the Laws of War

Editor’s note: Originally published on May 25, 2019; with an author’s note published on Dec. 24, 2020. Author’s note, Dec. 24, 2020: Not all corrupt pardons…

Dec. 24, 2020 Gabor Rona

U.S. Army SSG. Tyler Laliberte embraces his family after returning from a 9-month deployment to Afghanistan on December 10, 2020 at Fort Drum, New York.

Military Families are Gunning for Peace this Holiday Season

I share my family’s story to underline the urgency behind avoiding war with Iran. We’ve become a nation that engages in wars of choice. We cannot continue down this current…

Dec. 23, 2020 Heather Aliano

Women wait with children in a ward at a malnourishment treatment centre in Yemen's northern Hajjah province on November 22, 2020. The beds the children lie in are covered in netting, and the walkways between beds are very small since the beds are crowded together.

Biden Must Stick to His Pledge to End US Support for the Yemen War

The war in Yemen is a global mark of shame, and the resulting humanitarian disaster threatens the lives of 24 million people.

Dec. 14, 2020 Priyanka Motaparthy and Osamah Alfakih